toasted overnight steel cut oats

Everyone has a favorite meal of the day and mine is breakfast! Breakfast just rocks! Give me some coffee and some carbs and I’m a happy camper!

I’m a ravenous girl in the morning, and when I wake up I need a hot cup of coffee (pronto) and some carbs! I’ve been a breakfast carb and cereal addict since the age of 17. Until the age of 30, a daily bowl of grape-nuts was my thing, but now I like to change it up a bit. I rotate between a cold cereal like Ezekiel mixed with some Kind or Cafe Fanny granola topped with some fresh or dried fruit and….

hot cereal like my overnight steel cut oats, 5-minute hot quinoa cereal, hot quinoa and oats, and sometimes on the weekend when I have some extra time, I treat myself to some almond flour pancakes. See how tasty and healthy breakfast can be?I love steel cut oats. I love their chewy texture and creamy consistency. They’re the perfect comfort food on a cold morning, and ever since I figured out the lazy overnight way to make them, I eat them at least 2 times a week, if not more. Goodbye instant oats, say hello to rich and chewy steel cut oats! My favorite go-to toppings are peanut butter and fresh fruit! YUM!

I ran across a method for toasting steel cut oats and thought it looked interesting and worth a try. You see I do like to change things up a bit, and I have a food blog, so I figured why not.

I’m so glad that I tried this method of toasting the oats, because toasting them in butter adds a new depth of flavor and richness, as well as a chewier and nuttier taste and texture. Double YUM!I just thought I would show you a comparison of toasted oats to plain steel cut oats. You can really see how much darker the toasted oats are.

This additional step doesn’t really add any time to the process, but just adds another step. You can toast the oats while your water is coming to a boil, so it’s just another step, but an easy step to incorporate.

Toasted overnight steel cut oats:

serves 4

3 cups filtered water (see my water note below) – I recommend using filtered water, as tap water can have too much alkaine in it thus causing a greenish slime to occur on the oats. The oats are totally safe to eat, but it’s not very appealing.

Note: Toasted oats don’t absorb the water the way regular steel cut oats do, (that’s why I went down to 3 cups for this version) so you may want to play around with the water ratio, sometimes 3 cups is perfect, and sometimes I think I could go down to a bit under 3 cups. If there seems to be too much water when heating up the oats the next day, then just skim off some of the excess water.You just toast up the oats while the water is coming to a boil, so it may be one extra step, but it doesn’t require any additional time, as you’re toasting the oats while the water is coming to a boil.

So let’s get started….

Get out a medium saucepan, soup pan or Dutch oven and pour in the 3 cups water. Turn on the heat to medium-high and bring the water to a rapid boil.

At the same time, in a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once the butter has melted, add in the 1 cup oats.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are a few shades darker and start to smell almost like popcorn, about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and set aside, if the water hasn’t come to a boil yet.

When the water comes to a full boil, pour in the toasted steel cut oats and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Stir and let the oats cook for 1 minute. I always set my timer here.

If your oats start bubbling and rising up, then just give them a quick stir and that should take care of it, but if they still keep rising up, then turn down the heat a bit. .

After one minute, turn off the heat, give the oats a quick stir, cover and then let them sit out overnight.

Goodnight!

Good morning!

When you wake up and patter (or stumble) into the kitchen, open the lid and this is what you will see.

FYI: Sometimes tap water can cause a greenish slime to appear on top of the oats. It’s not mold and the oats are still safe to eat, you just need to scrape off the slime. Oats can turn brown-green or even blue-green in color when they are cooked in alkaline conditions. Alkaline conditions are achieved when the water used to cook the oats has a pH balance of 9 to 12, so use filtered water when making oats, if you can. If it’s not the water, it may be your pan. Sometimes a new pan can leach metal ions into your food and that could cause the same reaction.

In the morning uncover the oats and turn the heat up to medium or medium-low.

Stir occasionally until the oats are heated through. There will be a bit of water in the mixture still, but the oats will thicken up as they sit. I really like this consistency because they’re not to thick, goopy or dry. Toasted oats don’t absorb the water overnight the way regular steel cut oats do, so if there seems to be too much water when heating up the oats the next day, then just skim off some of the excess water, or you can try using a bit less than 3 cups next time.

Ladle the oats into a bowl and top with your favorite fixings.

Below are a few ways I top my oats.

Oats topped with a drizzle of honey and some fresh blueberries.

I also love them topped with peanut butter and fresh strawberries or raspberries!

Blueberries and peanut butter is pretty tasty as well.

Chunky peanut butter, chia seeds and strawberries is also amazing!

Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. The leftover oats will last for up to a week.

To re-heat the leftovers, just put the oats in a sauce pan along with a bit of almond milk or milk of choice, over medium-low heat. The oats will thicken as they sit in the fridge, so you’ll definitely want to add a bit of water or milk to thin them up as they’re cooking.

If you like hot cereals then you have to try these other cereals as well. They’re super quick and easy to whip up.

Hot quinoa and oats cereal with goji berries. This is another overnight cereal that’s packed with the heartiness of steel cut oats and the protein of quinoa.5 minute hot quinoa cereal. Yes, this literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish! So easy and so tasty!If you’re looking for a grain-free, gluten-free, vegan and paleo warm porridge then you have to try my grain-free, paleo, vegan breakfast porridge. It’s loaded with healthy Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats, contains tons of fiber, antioxidants, magensisum, and minerals. It takes only 10 minutes to make from start to finish, and the best part is that it’s low in carbs, and a warm, tasty and satisfying way to start the day. It will also give you the necessary fuel to get you through your morning.

Toasting the oats in butter adds a new depth of flavor and richness, as well as a chewier and nuttier taste and texture.

Author: Marin mama cooks

Recipe type: easy

Cuisine: breakfast

Ingredients

3 cups filtered water (see my note on water below) - I recommend using filtered water as tap water can have too much alkaine in it thus causing a greenish slime to occur on the oats. The oats are totally safe to eat, but it’s not very appealing.

1 cup steel cut oats – I love and use McCann’s steel cut irish oats - You can make this gluten-free by using gluten-free oats

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil

Instructions

Note: Toasted oats don't absorb the water the way regular steel cut oats do, (that's why I went down to 3 cups for this version) so you may want to play around with the water ratio, sometimes 3 cups is perfect, and sometimes I think I could go down to a bit under 3 cups. If there seems to be too much water when heating up the oats the next day, then just skim off some of the excess water.

You just toast up the oats while the water is coming to a boil, so it may be one extra step, but it doesn't require any additional time, as you're toasting the oats while the water is coming to a boil.

Get out a medium saucepan, soup pan or Dutch oven and pour in the 3 cups water. Turn on the heat to medium-high and bring the water to a rapid boil.

At the same time, in a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once the butter has melted, add in the 1 cup oats.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are a few shades darker and start to smell almost like popcorn, about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and set the toasted oats aside, if the water hasn't come to a boil yet.

When the water comes to a full boil, pour in the toasted steel cut oats and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Stir and let the oats cook for 1 minute. I always set my timer here. If your oats start bubbling and rising up, then just give them a quick stir and that should take care of it, but if they still keep rising up, then turn down the heat a bit.

After one minute, turn off the heat, give the oats a quick stir, cover and then let them sit out overnight.

In the morning uncover the oats and turn the heat up to medium or medium-low. FYI: Sometimes tap water can cause a greenish slime to appear on top of the oats. It’s not mold and the oats are still safe to eat, you just need to scrape off the slime. Oats can turn brown-green or even blue-green in color when they are cooked in alkaline conditions. Alkaline conditions are achieved when the water used to cook the oats has a pH balance of 9 to 12, so use filtered water when making oats, if you can. If it’s not the water, it may be your pan. Sometimes a new pan can leach metal ions into your food and that could cause the same reaction.

Stir occasionally until the oats are heated through. There will be a bit of water in the mixture still, but the oats will thicken up as they sit. I really like this consistency because they're not to thick, goopy or dry. Toasted oats don't absorb the water overnight the way regular steel cut oats do, so if there seems to be too much water when heating up the oats the next day, then just skim off some of the excess water, or you can try using a bit less than 3 cups next time.

Ladle the oats into a bowl and top with your favorite fixings. I love mine topped with a bit of honey and some fresh blueberries. I also love them topped with some peanut butter and fresh berries.

Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. The leftover oats will last for up to a week.

To re-heat the leftovers, just put the oats in a sauce pan, over medium-low heat. The oats will thicken as they sit in the fridge, so you'll definitely want to add a bit of water or milk to thin them up as they're cooking.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I’m going to try your way. I cook my SCOs in a double boiler so I won’t burn them or have them stick to the bottom of the pot. Haven’t tried this but thinking a slow cooker (crock pot) would work overnight as well.

First time reader! Looking for a recipe for overnight SCO, and found this one. How many servings does one cup serve? I have seven children, so just wondering how much I need to add to this to feed us all. Thank you!

Hi Julie! So, one cup typically serves 4-5 people, so I would double the quantities for your gang, because let’s admit, leftovers will get eaten if there’s too much. You want to make sure you have a big enough pot for 64 ounces of water. It truly depends on how much your gang eats for breakfast. Let me know what they think of the oats. Oh, you need to top them with peanut butter. Tt’s the bomb and it gets all melted into the oats. My fave 🙂 xoxo, Jacquelyn

Im so sorry to hear that Lauren. Maybe next time turn down your heat to low or medium low and make sure that you stir the oats constantly. Just keep an eye on them and when they turn a bit darker, take them off the heat. The funny thing is that they do smell a bit like popcorn when you’re toasting them.

Hi Marin Mama, I love your recipe for the overnight steel cut oats. I live in Jamaica so we are accustomed to spicing up oats and other cereal a little. Instead of filtered water I used coconut milk ( grated dry coconut in 3-4 cups filtered water). Bring coconut milk to boil and then add about 6 pieces of cinnamon leaves and let boil for about 1 minute. Leave for about 5 minutes until the flavour of the cinnamon is infused in the coconut milk. Remove cinnamon leaves. Bring to boil again and add steel cut oats and let cook for 1 minute. Cover and leave overnight. The rest is just as you have it, except that I add a little grated nutmeg and honey and a ripe banana sliced in small pieces off course. Sometimes I add a about 10 natural chopped almond nuts.

Hi Jessica! Sorry to be so late in responding to your comment, but we were on vacation till late last night and I didn’t have access to my computer. I’m a bit confused. Did you make the overnight oats and then put them in jars in the morning? If so, you should be fine! If not, let me know what you did. I think it was fine not to use butter to toast them, but the oats may have different flavor to them. If you don’t want to use butter then make my regular overnight steel cut oats. They don’r require you to toast the oats before cooking and they taste great! Let me know if you still have any questions! Thanks! Jacquelyn